


A Tale of Two Curses

by CarminaVulcana



Series: Tumblr Prompts - Round 1 [4]
Category: Baahubali (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 00:12:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16230185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarminaVulcana/pseuds/CarminaVulcana
Summary: 19 & 14 for baahubali halloween prompts19 was werewolves. 14 was Blood feud. QueenOfMahishmati wanted these written together in the same story. Here's what I came up with.Summary: It wasn't Bhallaladeva's evil that singlehandedly destroyed the lives of Amarendra, Devasena, Sivagami, and his own self. Sometimes, the truth is stranger than speculation. Now, do you believe in fairytales?





	A Tale of Two Curses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [queenofmahishmati](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofmahishmati/gifts).



Alakapuri, the magnificent home of Lord Kubera was often likened to Mayanagari, the mythical-- and allegorical-- city of illusions. The reasons for this were many but the most prominent one was the nature of Alakapuri’s residents, the Yakshas and their wives, the Yakshinis. These spirit beings prided themselves as the children and servants of Lord Kubera. 

Yakshas, like humans and other creatures, came in all shades and shapes. But among them, two brothers stood out for their steadfastness and commitment to dharma through all their lifetimes. In every incarnation, they returned as themselves and for an eternity, they stood guard outside Alakapuri’s Swarnabhavan. And they let no one in, not even the Gods, without the express permission of their master. 

Asoma and Asurya. The antithesis of the moon and the sun. Immortal like the heavens. Transient like a gust of wind. Invulnerable like the air. Unmoving like the mountains. 

The guards of Kubera’s home could have had their own place in Devalok but their dedication was such that they were happy to remain where they were. For millions of years, they had devoted their existence to the safety and wellbeing of Alakapuri. And in return, Lord Kubera had granted them boons of strength, speed, beauty, wealth, and the ability to transform into any animal of their choosing.

But everything changed on a fateful Kartik Purnima when the tendrils of Kalayuga snaked through the minds of all the Yakshas and Yakshinis except for Asoma and Asurya.

As the guards of the Dhanadhipati, the master of all the wealth in the universe, they carried the boon of immunity from all temptation and desire. And no force on earth could undo this boon granted to them by Lord Brahma—except for their own free will.

Asoma and Asurya witnessed the madness that spread through Alakapuri. They saw brothers turning on each other for petty gold even as overflowing mountains of the coveted metal sat in their backyard. They saw women tearing each other down with words over questions of beauty and desirability even though each one of them was far more radiant than the fabled demi-goddesses, Menaka and Rambha.

Fires broke out in the streets, rivers of blood dyed the earth crimson, musical instruments were trampled upon, and shouts pierced the air as pain, anger, and lust hungered for the souls of the frenzied Yakshas.

Asoma and Asurya saw the destruction of Alakapuri’s peace and harmony with horror, but they refused to abandon their post. However, when the rioting hordes reached the gates of the Swarnabhavan, they realized they would either have to fight back—and kill the subjects of Lord Kubera indiscriminately—or they would have to restrain every person within the boundaries of the kingdom. The latter would require them to leave their station unattended for several hours but between that and committing murder, there was no real choice to be made.

Without further deliberation, they got to work. Only the Brahmastra could successfully bind these people made insane by Kalayuga. It took them several hours to round up all the people, but they eventually managed to do so.

When Lord Kubera returned from his visit to Devalok, he was aghast to find his kingdom in ruins and his guards gone.

Rage. RAGE.

Such rage as he had never felt before.

“THOSE TRAITORS,” he thundered as the blood in his veins turned to lava. “They dare desert just when they were most needed? They ran away to save themselves but neither one tried to stop the other? I will show them. I WILL SHOW THEM.”

He took a deep breath before pronouncing his sentence.

“They will forever be at odds with each other. In each lifetime, one must kill the other. And neither will ever be free from the cycle of birth and death. And they will never serve at my gates again. Then they will know what it means to betray Kubera.”

But just as he uttered the curse, Asoma and Asurya walked into the ramparts of the outer garden. And behind them, walked the entire population of Alakapuri, with crazed eyes, bound by the Brahmastra, and struggling to get free.

“Danada,” the two guards prostrated before Kubera. “Please forgive us.”

“There can be no forgiveness,” he said angrily. “What have you done to my people?”

“We did not do anything,” Asurya explained. “It was Kalayuga, the goddess of the new age. She cast her eyes upon Alakapuri and that awakened the otherwise dormant evil tendencies of our kind. My Lord, the Yakshas are after all half-deity, half-demon. There is nothing anyone could have done. When we realized what had happened, we gathered all the people together to prevent further damage and loss of life.”

On hearing this explanation, Kubera’s anger vanished but an overwhelming sense of guilt filled him. Unfortunately, he could not take his curse back. But he did not tell the brothers about it immediately. First, he needed to find a cure for the people’s madness.

“There is only one way to undo the doings of Kalayuga,” he said after thinking for a few moments. “Their rakshasavritti, demonic inclinations, must be trapped in the body of a powerful and proud animal. Asoma, I need you to go and find me the strongest wild animal in the kingdom.”

“As you wish,” Asoma bowed and left. But for the first time in his entire existence, Asurya did not wish him well. And it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Something was wrong. But he couldn’t quite say what it was.

XXXXX

It took Asoma two nights and three days to find a suitable animal. After a lot of searching and observing, he decided that the best candidate for the job was the alpha wolf. It was close enough to a dog that it would be loyal and faithful to Lord Kubera. It was strong enough to lead a pack. It was proud enough to never back down.

Adivrika. That’s the name he chose for his new friend and the would-be savior of Alakapuri. And to convince this magnificent beast, Asoma had to transform into a wolf as well.

He turned himself into a smaller beta male. And with great humility, he approached Adivrika.

Being smart and a natural leader, Adivrika understood within moments why he had been chosen. But he would not follow Asoma in his wolf form.

“An alpha wolf follows no other of his own kind,” he said. “You will lead me to your kingdom as who you really are. Otherwise, you can find someone else to be the vessel your lord desires me to be.”

Asoma did not think twice before assuming his true form and before long, he and Adivrika made their way back to Alakapuri. During the short but rough journey, his respect for the wolf grew as he realized how humble and wise the animal kingdom was. They did the bidding of the Gods, killed only when necessary, treated their womenkind like mates instead of objects, and did not hoard resources.

“The heavens provide us with food on every tree, in every deer, and through every tuber that grows below the earth,” Adivrika explained patiently. “The clouds pour down rain when we thirst. Why must we burden ourselves with the things that will inevitably rot away if left unconsumed even for the briefest amount of time?”

XXXXX

The wolf was welcomed with garlands by Lord Kubera.

“We are grateful that you have agreed to do this,” he said. “We will honor your sacrifice till the end of our days. Do you have a last request?”

But before Adivrika could say anything, Asoma wanted to ask a question.

“My Lord, I do not understand,” he said to his master. “You needed him to absorb and contain the madness but why do your words imply his death?”

“It is not your place to ask questions,” Kubera snapped. “However, if you must know, I will tell you. The weight and intensity of our collective rakshasavritti is too much for a single animal. It will remain contained in his body, but his spirit will be reduced to ash by its fire. That will kill him. It is unfortunate but it is also the only way. “

“No, My Lord,” Asoma stepped in between him and Adivrika. “We cannot ask this of him. It is not our place to condemn other innocent creatures to die for our shortcomings.”

“What are you doing, brother?” Asurya gritted his teeth. “We are already in a lot of trouble. Just let Danada get on with his task.”

“No, I cannot let this happen.”

“But I have consented, dear child,” Adivrika tried to reason with Asoma. “I do not mind. You convinced me that this was for a good cause.”

“I am aware of that, o wise one,” Asoma answered. “But if you are sacrificed today “for a good cause,” numerous other innocent animals will be killed through the ages for far less.”

Lord Kubera witnessed his once-obedient guard’s insubordination quietly but inside, he was seething. He didn’t feel guilty about the curse anymore. Out of sheer spite, he gave him a seemingly impossible choice.

“If you are so concerned, why don’t you take his place?”

Asoma closed his eyes at the implications of the offer but in his heart, he knew this would be his only option.

“Gladly, My Lord,” he responded and accepted his fate.

But Kubera was not done.

“Sure, I will spare the life of the beast,” he smirked. “But you cannot be allowed to die. Not alone, anyway.”

“I do not understand,” Asoma said, puzzled by the deity’s words.

“When I saw you and Asurya absent from your stations, I cursed you. You will never find moksha. Your brotherly love will be tested in each lifetime from this moment. And you will fail every time. One of you will always die by the hand of the other. I cursed you with an eternal, unresolvable blood feud.”

Each one of Kubera’s words felt like a knife going through his heart. And when he looked up to where Asurya stood, he saw the same despair and grief reflected in his eyes as well.

“My Lord, we did not abandon our posts,” he begged. “Asoma and I do not deserve this. Have we not served you faithfully since the moment we were created? Has our loyalty ever wavered? Please, Danada. We hold no one and nothing dear except for our service to you and our love for each other. Please do not do this to us.”

“A curse cannot be taken back,” Kubera said with a hint of regret in his voice. “And now that Asoma wishes to take the place of the wolf, we seem to be at an impasse.”

“But curses can be modified,” Asurya retorted. “I will share a part of my brother’s burden. That way, both of us will take on the obligation of the wolf but neither of us will die.”

Kubera saw logic in Asurya’s suggestion. And he gave him the burden of the intensity of Alakapuri’s rakshasavritti. To Asoma, he gave its sheer weight.

“In each lifetime from this moment onwards, you, Asurya, will be unpardonably evil and unable to find redemption. You will kill with impunity. You will rape and pillage and destroy with nothing but a calculative coldness. And you, Asoma, will wrestle with his evil. You will stand between him and everything he will seek to annihilate. Ultimately, one of you will kill the other. Since you are doing this on behalf of a wolf, in every one of your human lives, you will both spend every Kartik Amavasya and Kartik Purnima as wolves.”

Silently, the two brothers heard the curse.

But Asurya wanted to know how and when it would end.

To that, Kubera had only one answer.

“When Mother Ganga takes pity upon you and births you as her own. She will return to her waters by your hand. Only after that lifetime, you and Asoma will find salvation.”

XXXXX

Mahishmati is one of the strongest kingdoms of the southern peninsula. They are considered the parent kingdom of all the other major kingdoms of the region. The Chalukyas, the Cholas, and the Pandyas bow to their might. The Kalakeya and other tribal kingdoms tremble before them.

But the people governed by the Mahishmati empire believe themselves to be the most fortunate people in the entire world.

However, only the Queen Mother Sivagami and Katappa, the royal slave, know the dark secret that can potentially destroy the kingdom’s glory in a single stroke.

The affliction is unheard of. No one in any of the previous generations suffered from it. In some ways, it can be seen as a supernatural curse. There is simply no other way to explain why every year, the two princes turn into feral wolves on the Purnima and Amavasya of the month of Kartik. The first three years were not too bad. Being young, the little wolves were easily tamed.

But now, it has become harder to conceal, especially since Deepavali falls on Kartik Amavasya and neither prince makes an appearance at the celebrations.

Sivagami has had almost a hundred acres of forest land fenced away. A day before their transformation, Katappa takes the princes there so that they can remain hidden from the prying eyes of the world. The princes do not understand why this needs to happen. For some odd reason, they never remember the night they spend as wolves.

However, when they turn ten, they are told.

Bhallaladeva refuses to believe it. But Amarendra says nothing. He has always wondered why there are scratches and bruises on his arms and legs after those two occasions every year that he never has any memory of. He has always wondered about the way his and Bhalla’s clothes are in tatters when they wake up on the rough floor of the forest.

Plus, the explanation itself is so bizarre that he could have never come up with it in a million years.

Like Bhalla, he wishes to believe this is all a joke.

But mother does not make jokes. She is being absolutely honest. And eventually, Bhalla realizes it too.

Their fate is sealed. Mercifully, they don’t know it yet.

Years later, when Bhalla puts an arrow through Sivagami’s back, he opens the door to their freedom. In the end, Mother Ganga’s human shell is swept away by Jeevanadhi, one of her many tributaries.

Asoma finds himself waiting impatiently in purgatory. He feels sorrow for the woman and the child he has left behind. He is angry that they will suffer needlessly because of his tainted destiny. He is relieved that this would be the last time.

“Just a few more years,” he sighs.

And then they will cease to exist for good.


End file.
